The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 224p1

Chapter 224: What’s This About Marrying First and Loving Later? 9(1)

The argument grew increasingly heated, the atmosphere tense, as if a fight was about to break out.

Just then, a commotion came from the ancestral hall near the wooden building, instantly attracting everyone’s attention.

Tao Ning, who hadn’t intended to get involved in the players’ disputes, was the first to move, preparing to go downstairs and leave.

The second to move was Chu Que. He said, “Perhaps what happened today is far more than this.”

Saying this, he carefully descended the narrow stairs.

The wooden staircase was truly treacherous. Even holding onto the railing, he had to be extremely careful not to slip.

Moreover, his movements weren’t as nimble and smooth as Tao Ning’s, his back looking like a crippled old man.

It made one wonder, how could someone who struggled so much to go up and down the stairs possibly drag Zhang Lei, who was almost 1.8 meters tall and strongly built?

Tao Ning stepped over the high threshold, turning to look at the bustling crowd, thinking this was too much.

This scene was also witnessed by Liang Chun and the female student who remained upstairs. The female student turned to Liang Chun, unsure how to speak.

Judging by her eyes, she had clearly thought of this as well.

Liang Chun’s eyes were fixed on Chu Que’s disappearing figure. Without turning around, she knew what the female student was thinking.

Liang Chun, her eyes red with hatred, gritted her teeth: “He’s trained in internal martial arts and dares to enter a ghost village, but walks down the stairs like that, wouldn’t his master break his legs?”

She turned to the female student: “Yan Wenruo, if you believe him, you can stay away from me.”

“…” Yan Wenruo’s heart trembled. She, a novice, clearly hadn’t thought of this.

Outside the ancestral hall, the aged village chief stood on a temporarily moved table, acting as a platform, looking down at the villagers.

Tao Ning’s eyes flickered, noticing someone arriving late.

It was Liang Chun and the female student beside her, one with a more determined look, the other still uncertain.

Liang Chun had come here to fight for her life, decisive by nature, and wouldn’t be stopped by the death of her close relative.

Just then, the village chief standing on the table said, “…After consulting the Mountain God, we have decided to choose another bride.”

A young man brought out a red box and showed it to everyone.

“According to tradition, each family draws a lot, and the family that draws the red lot will offer a bride.”

The crowd murmured, then expressed their agreement with this method. This was the long-standing tradition of Lingxiu Village.

Whichever family drew the red lot had to offer a bride to the Mountain God. It was a supreme honor, and refusal wasn’t allowed.

Yan Wenruo watched as each family sent a representative to draw lots. All they drew were wooden sticks, no red ones.

However, those who drew wooden sticks didn’t look relieved, glancing at the sticks in their hands indifferently and casually placing them into the container next to them.

After a while, Yan Wenruo finally noticed something was wrong. She asked, “Sister Liang, what if the family that draws the red lot doesn’t have a suitable bride candidate?”

At the same time, Xuan Miao, sitting on Tao Ning’s shoulder, whispered in her ear, “Does every family have a girl?”

Tao Ning replied, “Of course not, but they’ll find a bride.”

The next to draw lots was the family Yan Wenruo was staying with. The motorcyclist she had stayed with was dead, leaving only Yan Wenruo.

Liang Chun recalled her first time in Lingxiu Village.

Last time, something had also happened to the bride, preventing her from getting married. The bride-to-be had accidentally rolled down the stairs, breaking her legs and bleeding to death, so they had to choose another bride from the villagers.

Fortunately, the chosen bride that time was the younger sister of the previous bride, and the wedding proceeded smoothly.

On the day of the wedding, she, her brother, and two others had stayed on the mountain to complete a hidden mission.

The other two had been exposed by the smell of blood on their bodies and died on the mountain. In the end, only she and her brother remained. While hiding, they were forced to log out when the time was up.

But because they had survived the Mountain God’s pursuit, the system rewarded them with an item that allowed them to re-enter any instance.

A total of six people had survived that game, only four out of ten dying.

Perhaps it was this unexpectedly high survival rate that gave the siblings the illusion that they could survive this world again and reduce the number of levels they had to clear.

Lost in thought, Liang Chun heard Yan Wenruo gasp beside her, someone grabbing her tightly.

Liang Chun looked up: “What’s…”

Yan Wenruo stared straight ahead, her face pale: “Red lot, I drew it.”

Liang Chun looked towards the suddenly bustling area and saw that Yan Wenruo’s host had drawn the red lot.

Under the village chief’s instruction, he raised the red lot high, the red stick in his hand visible to everyone. Cheers erupted in front of the ancestral hall.

They all congratulated him on having a Mountain God’s bride in his family, saying that they would definitely receive more blessings from the Mountain God in the coming year.

Amidst the cheers and congratulations, Yan Wenruo’s voice was faint: “But, the homeowner only has a son?”

Where would he find a Mountain God’s bride?

Thinking of the spirit tablets beneath the statue, engraved with many different surnames, perhaps this was the origin of the brides with different surnames.

The village chief said, “Since you drew the red lot, it’s a blessing for your family. Give the red lot to the bride.”

The villager: “Alright, I just happen to have a suitable candidate in my house, the right age too, looks quite educated.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked at Yan Wenruo in the crowd, and others also looked at Yan Wenruo, who was staying at his house.

Yan Wenruo shuddered under their gazes. Anyone stared at by a group of people like they were looking at a dead person would feel scared.

The crowd parted like the Red Sea, making way for the villager who had drawn the red lot, letting him walk towards Yan Wenruo, holding the red lot.

Yan Wenruo couldn’t help but take a step back.

The villagers around her spontaneously surrounded her, blocking her retreat. No one spoke to stop her, but their actions made it clear that this was unchangeable.

The villagers were determined to send her to her death.

The red lot passed by Tao Ning. She suddenly said to Xuan Miao, sitting on her shoulder, “My Lady Mountain God, soon we won’t have to live in a dilapidated house anymore.”

Xuan Miao: “?”

Perhaps many years ago, many people had devoutly knelt and worshipped her, calling her Mountain God, all with the most respectful and humble attitude, except for Tao Ning…

Hearing this tone, she knew Tao Ning was up to something again.

In the next instant, Xuan Miao’s vision shifted, and she was placed into the cloth bag.

Tao Ning strode forward and snatched the red lot from the villager’s hand.

Yan Wenruo: “?”

Liang Chun, vigilant but still confused: “?”

The villager was stunned, the red lot easily taken from his loose grip.

Xuan Miao wondered what she was planning to do and saw Tao Ning raise the red lot, shouting, “She’s unwilling, I’m willing!”

A resounding “I’m willing” overwhelmed the scene, successfully attracting everyone’s attention.

Including the village chief.

The young man holding the red box at the table: “You fool, what are you doing?”

Tao Ning held the red lot, tapping her chin: “Aren’t you choosing a bride for the Mountain God?”

The homeowner, being questioned: “Yes.”

Then, Tao Ning looked at Yan Wenruo, who was still confused: “Aren’t you unwilling to be the Mountain God’s bride?”

“…” Yan Wenruo, nudged in the back by Liang Chun, quickly nodded, “Yes, I’m unwilling!”

Tao Ning spread her hands: “Then it’s settled. You’re choosing a bride, she doesn’t want to be the bride, I’ll be the bride, isn’t that fine?”

The young man was speechless, unable to find a rebuttal, thinking, when did this fool become so eloquent? He looked at the village chief, waiting for his decision.

The village chief remained unmoved, not surprised that the fool could speak so fluently.

Because none of this mattered. He narrowed his eyes, saying mysteriously, “No.”

Tao Ning walked past the crowd towards the village chief, stopping at a short distance: “There must be a reason why it’s a no, why not?”

Having seen people scrambling for money, but never scrambling to die, the tourists in Liang Chun’s group looked at her strangely.

They hadn’t really believed that her mental state was normal, but the fact that she could say such things so confidently meant that there was something wrong with her mind.

The only one truly shocked was Liang Chun.

As a tourist who had spent a night in her house, whose companion had even broken through her roof, Tao Zi hadn’t reacted like this back then.

The village chief’s expression remained unchanged: “You’re not the bride chosen by the Mountain God.”

Tao Ning twirled the red lot in her fingers, even more nonchalant: “Village chief, you just said you consulted the Mountain God and decided to choose a new bride by drawing lots. If the Mountain God’s bride is chosen by drawing lots, doesn’t that mean the selection process is random, and the Mountain God’s will isn’t fixed?”

“The Mountain God is a high and mighty deity, how could she directly express her will? Only the devout devotion of believers can move her, just like what everyone does every day.”

For some reason, the villagers subconsciously felt that she was making a lot of sense.

The village chief still refused: “No, you’re not the bride chosen by the Mountain God, and you don’t even know the Mountain God’s will.”

Tao Ning thought, the Mountain God is right here in my bag, how could I not know her thoughts: “Well then, there’s something the village chief might have forgotten. Actually, my parents are related to Second Uncle Qiu, our two families were originally one, splitting up during my father’s time.”

Tao Ning turned to look at her uncle, whom she hadn’t looked in the eye for eight hundred years: “As family, do you agree to me being chosen by you as the Mountain God’s bride?”

The villager, suddenly having a niece, was at a loss: “I, I agree?”

Tao Ning: “My elder agrees, the Mountain God agrees, does the village chief still want to disagree on behalf of the Mountain God?”

Village Chief: “…” Saying no at this point would be seen by the villagers as distorting the Mountain God’s will.

The young man felt that this was sophistry, but he couldn’t find anything wrong with Tao Ning’s words, stammering for a while before squeezing out a sentence: “Where did the Mountain God agree? Don’t distort the Mountain God’s will!”

Tao Ning looked fanatical: “The Mountain God is so powerful, if she didn’t want me to marry the Mountain God, she would definitely appear personally and snatch the red lot from my hand.”

She waved the red lot triumphantly: “But after so long, she hasn’t appeared to take the red lot from me, doesn’t that mean she agrees?”

Xuan Miao, listening to the whole process inside the bag: “…” I’m that powerful?

“…Nonsense!” The young man didn’t know how to refute Tao Ning. He definitely couldn’t say that the Mountain God wouldn’t appear to take the red lot.

Saying that would be slandering the Mountain God, how could he say such a thing?

The villagers didn’t really care who the Mountain God’s bride was, as long as there was one. After hearing Tao Ning’s words, their emotions were stirred.